1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for sealing an opening provided in a sheet metal roof which consists of substantially flat panels joined together by raised seams, that is a "standing seam" roof. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for installing, in a substantially watertight manner, a baffle plate having a throughgoing ducting channel (e.g., a chimney or chimney flashing, a ventilation shaft, etc.) on a sheet metal roof having raised seam joints.
2. Description of the Prior
U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,998 Dec. 7, 1982 to Ellison et al, U.S Pat. No. 4,497,151 issued Feb. 5, 1985 to Simpson et al both relate to raised seam roofs in which the seams comprise a snaplock arrangement that secures a resilient sealant strip. The roofs are secured to the underlying structure by means of clips that are fixed to the roof by means of the snaplock arrangement of the raised seams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,913 issued Dec. 20, 1983, to Long, et al and entitled "Roof Ridge Structure and System" relates to an apparatus and method for covering the ends of the vertically upstanding seams joining the panels making up the standing seam roof.
The three abovementioned patents are hereby expressly incorporated by way of reference as if their contents were set forth fully herein.
In the area of roof construction (i.e., both original roof construction and the retrofitting of a new roof deck or a new external roof surface to an existing building), there arises the problem of joining the roof in a watertight manner to ducting passages which must pass through the roof deck, for example, ventilation chimneys, flues and the like. Normally, this is accomplished using a fitting (e.g., such as flashing) which is sealed against the outer surface of the roof. Generally, such fittings are manufactured in a shop, which can cause problems due to the fact that the fitting has to accomodate both the actual opening (e.g., a ventilation shaft, a chimney, a supporting member for an antenna or member for supporting an additional structure above the roof deck), as well as the peculiarities of construction of the roof deck itself. During the renovation or resurfacing of a roof deck, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the installation must be accommodated to the existing construction which cannot be moved sideways and adjusted to fit the new roof.